


Parenthood Should Come With A Manual

by realityisoverrated



Series: Infinite Love [115]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, M/M, Polyamory, Polyfidelity, Smoaking billionaires, Toliver, flommy, olicity - Freeform, underage alcohol and drug use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-12 07:29:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11157132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realityisoverrated/pseuds/realityisoverrated
Summary: Tommy comes home early and discovers Bobby with a girl. When Oliver and Tommy confront their son about his behavior, Bobby reminds them of their own teenaged years and accuses his fathers of keeping secrets about their own pasts.





	Parenthood Should Come With A Manual

**Author's Note:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further. 
> 
> This installment is 112/115. The installment list has grown too long for the notes section. You can now find the chronological list for the series, with hyperlinks, at http://archiveofourown.org/works/11051019
> 
> If you are new to the series, welcome.
> 
> Arrow and its characters do not belong to me.

>

Artwork by Lademonessa

 

Cross town traffic was a mess as Tommy navigated the city’s waterlogged streets. Spring had arrived in Starling and everything was cold and damp. He couldn’t wait for the school year to be over and to start their summer in Italy. He was looking forward to regular sunshine and not having to deal with homework, sport schedules and music lessons. When he pulled onto their street, there wasn’t a parking spot to be found. He was forced to park two blocks away and had to run through the downpour. He sprinted up the front steps of their home and shook out his umbrella as he unlocked the door. “Nathaniel,” he said sharply into his cell, “where did you leave it?” His son’s trumpet was not next to the front door as instructed.

Nate hesitated, “By the front door?”

“Try again,” Tommy sighed as he put his umbrella in the stand and dropped his keys into the dish on the entry table. He kicked off his wet shoes and hung his raincoat on the hook next to the front door. He’d left the house before the kids were even up to make a teleconference meeting with his east coast team. Oliver and Felicity had both forgotten that Nate had trumpet lessons after school on Thursdays. He’d received a frantic call from his nine year old about forgetting his trumpet, so he’d rushed home to grab the instrument and deliver it to Nate before his lesson.

“Maybe the kitchen?” Nate paused, “Or, maybe my bedroom.”

“How did your sister leave with her flute and you didn’t notice you didn’t have your trumpet?” Tommy asked as he walked towards their kitchen. His son didn’t respond and he could picture Nate’s face as he tried to think of something reasonable to say. When he walked past the closed doors of their living room, the hair on the back of Tommy’s neck stood on end. He wasn’t alone. He turned around and noticed the telltale glow of the fireplace flickering beneath the door. “Go back to class. I’ll have your trumpet to you before your lesson,” Tommy said as he hung up his phone.

Tommy threw open the living room doors. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting to see, but it definitely wasn’t finding his sixteen-year-old, shirtless and laying on top of a shirtless woman whom he was kissing. A bottle of wine and two glasses were on top of the coffee table. Tommy’s brain short-circuited for a moment as he tried to process what was happening in his living room. He quickly turned his back to the sofa, “Robert.”

“Da,” it sounded as if Bobby had fallen off the sofa and into the coffee table, “what are you doing here?”

“I live here,” Tommy reminded his son. “Get dressed. See your friend has a way home. I expect you in the kitchen in five minutes.” He walked through the doors back into the hallway, “These doors remain open.”

“Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit,” Tommy muttered to himself as he walked into the kitchen. He was so distracted he nearly tripped over Nate’s trumpet case. He could feel panic starting to rise at the prospect of having to share an essential parenting moment without scarring his son or himself. His brain was a complete blank as he tried to think of what he should say. It wasn’t like Bobby hadn’t already received the sex talk from Oliver and Tommy, but that had been theoretical. Tommy was fairly certain if he hadn’t walked into the living room when he did, sex wouldn’t have been theoretical for much longer. “Shit,” Tommy muttered again as he stepped into their pantry and pulled out his phone.

His husband picked up on the second ring. “Ollie,” he whispered, “I need help.”

“What’s wrong?” Oliver asked in his Green Arrow voice.

“I came home early and found Bobby – with a girl,” Tommy explained.

“The fact that you’re calling me, leads me to believe they weren’t studying,” Oliver correctly deduced.

Tommy blew out a breath, “Not unless anatomy classes have changed since I went to school.”

“Were they having sex?” Oliver’s voice remained gruff.

“No, but they weren’t fully clothed either.” Tommy rested his head against a shelf, “I’m kind of freaking out here. I’m not sure what I should say.”

“Did you recognize the girl?”

“Ollie, I can’t tell you what color her hair is. I didn’t look once I realized what I was looking at,” Tommy whispered. “There was a bottle of wine on the coffee table – with two glasses.”

“At the very least, we’re grounding him for that,” Oliver stated seriously.

“Wait, is sexual activity a grounding offense?” Tommy asked. “I don’t like the idea of punishing our children for exploring their sexuality.”

Oliver sighed, “Tommy, exploring their sexuality is one thing. Being irresponsible is another. He has no business drinking at sixteen. What if you came home early with the kids and walked in on that?”

“I’m feeling like a huge hypocrite,” Tommy admitted. “The things I did when I was sixteen – I don’t want that for our son.”

“I’m calling Felicity,” Oliver sounded as worried as Tommy felt. “She’ll know what we should do.”

“Hi, hon, Felicity greeted Oliver brightly.

“I’m on too, babe,” Tommy alerted his wife.

“Which one?” Felicity’s voice had lost all playfulness.

“Which one, what?” Oliver asked.

“Normally, Id’ be delighted to hear from you both in the middle of the day, but I don’t think you’re calling to tell me that you love me. So, I ask again, which one of our children is in trouble now?”

“Bobby,” Oliver and Tommy responded together.

“Bobby?” she sounded surprised.

“I came home to grab Nate’s trumpet and found Bobby in the living room – with a girl.”

“Oh, Felicity said softly. “Were they having S-E-X?”

A rustling sound in the kitchen had Tommy opening the door a crack, “Shit, he’s waiting for me in the kitchen. You’re coming with me,” he warned his spouses as he placed them on speaker phone.

Bobby looked heavenward when Tommy stepped out of the closet, “You called mom and daddy?”

“They’re your parents too and should be part of this conversation,” Tommy informed him.

“Wouldn’t you prefer to wait until after dinner when you can lecture me in person?” he asked Tommy’s phone sarcastically.

“Is that really the tone you want to take with us after your dad caught you with booze and a girl?” Oliver growled.

“I’m in college,” Bobby snapped back.

“You’re sixteen,” Felicity reminded her son.

“Yeah, and how much worse were my dads when they were my age?” Bobby challenged.

“This isn’t about your dad or me,” Tommy said as he sat down at their farm table. “Your dad and I have told you that we aren’t proud of how we behaved when we were your age.”

“You got to have fun, but now I can’t. That’s not fair,” Bobby folded his arms across his chest. “Amy and I were just fooling around.”

“Are you dating Amy?” Felicity asked casually. “I don’t remember you mentioning anyone named Amy.”

“She’s in one of my classes. I was helping her prepare for the next test,” Bobby answered. “We’re not dating.”

“How old is she?” Tommy hoped he didn’t sound too puritanical, but his child was underage on a campus full of women who weren’t.

“Bobby shrugged, “Nineteen, I think -maybe twenty.”

“You’re sixteen,” Tommy practically shouted, “does she know that?”

Bobby rolled his eyes, “Everyone knows who I am.”

“Bobby,” Felicity began in her CEO voice, “are you this woman’s T.A.?”

A look of guilt washed across Bobby’s face, “It just kind of happened.”

Tommy dropped his head into his hands, “How can you be so smart about so many things and a complete idiot about everything else?”

“It’s not a big deal,” Bobby insisted.

“Do you grade Amy’s papers and exams?” Oliver asked.

“Yes,” Bobby started, “but,”

“Then it is a big deal, son,” Oliver said with more patience than Tommy felt. “Amy might think you expect her to – kiss you to get a good grade.”

Bobby’s face reddened and he sputtered, “I’d never do that.”

“We don’t think you would,” Felicity said kindly.

“Girls actually like kissing me,” Bobby defended himself.

“We aren’t questioning if girls like kissing you,” Tommy clarified. “You just told us that everyone knows who you are. Amy could go to the Dean and report you for inappropriate behavior.

Bobby stood up from his chair so quickly it fell backwards, “Why are you always so fucking paranoid? Not everyone is out to make a buck off us. Maybe she kissed me because she likes me. Did you ever think of that?” He stormed from the room.

Tommy’s head dropped into his hands, “That went well.”

“I’m on my way home,” Oliver informed his husband.

“Sounds like the two of you have everything under control,” Felicity teased. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

“Wait,” Tommy called out to his wife, “you’re not coming home?”

“We agreed when they were born,” Felicity had a smile in her voice, “that if it had a penis, you two got to have the talk.”

“Thanks,” Oliver grumbled.

“You’ll do fine,” Felicity promised, “and if you don’t – I’ll fix it.”

“I’ll see you in twenty,” Oliver informed his husband before hanging up.

 

Tommy was rinsing Bobby’s used wine glasses in the sink when Oliver walked in. Oliver ran his hand over the top of Tommy’s head and rested it against his neck, “You okay?”

Tommy poured himself a glass of wine and took a large drink before offering it to his husband, “Yeah. I’m trying to remember why we had kids.”

“It was your idea,” Oliver smirked over the brim of the glass before he took a sip.

“Don’t remind me,” Tommy groaned.

Oliver swirled the wine in his mouth and arched a brow, “This is nice.”

Tommy laughed sharply and turned the wine bottle around, “Goldeneye.”

Oliver’s eyes went wide at Felicity’s prized $2000 bottle of wine, “We can skip the talk and just wait for Felicity to kill him.”

“Excellent plan,” Tommy took the wine glass from Oliver. He took another sip before handing it back.

Oliver drained the glass and then returned it to the counter, “Where’s our son?”

“Hiding in his room,” Tommy wrapped his arms around Oliver’s waist. “It’s not too late for us to hire a team of nannies to raise them while we live on the Amalfi Coast.”

“Nice try,” Oliver kissed his temple.

“I’ll give you a billion dollars to go upstairs without me,” Tommy only half-joked.

Oliver laughed, “We should’ve tried that on Felicity,” He laced his fingers with Tommy’s and led him towards the stairs, “Come on, dad.”

They found Bobby laying on his bed wearing a pair of earphones and beating out a rhythm with his drumsticks against his stomach. Oliver knocked loudly on the open door and Bobby opened one eye, took a look at his dads, and closed it again as his drumsticks continued to tap.

Tommy took a deep breath as he realized that this conversation was going to go worse than he expected if Bobby was already at defcon four. He wondered if they weren’t better off retreating and allowing Felicity to have this conversation.

Sensing his husband’s hesitancy, Oliver put his hand on the small of Tommy’s back and gently pushed him into the room. Oliver took hold of Bobby’s foot and shook it, “Sit up, we need to talk to you.”

“I’m not talking to you about sex,” Bobby continued drumming with his eyes closed.

Oliver removed the drumsticks from Bobby’s hands so quickly, Tommy almost missed it. “That’s fine, we’ll talk and you’ll listen.”

Bobby pulled the headphones from his ears and sat up. He crossed his arms across his chest and stared out the window, “I’m not apologizing.”

“That’s too bad, because you owe your dad, mom, and me an apology,” Oliver said sitting on the edge of the bed. “We have rules in this house for a reason. Not just to protect you but to protect your sisters and brother too.”

“I didn’t think anyone was going to be home,” Bobby said without looking at his dads. “If I thought Becks or the twins were going to be home, I wouldn’t have brought her here.”

“You were drinking,” Tommy pointed out.

Bobby shrugged. “I showed her the wine cellar, she picked out a bottle. We didn’t drink much.”

“You’re not old enough to drink,” Tommy said patiently and hoped a lightning bolt wouldn’t strike him dead for hypocrisy.

Bobby’s look was almost as good as a lightning bolt, “Seriously, da? When did you start drinking? Twelve? Thirteen?”

Oliver pulled on Bobby’s foot, “Don’t speak to your dad that way.”

“Drugs. Alcohol. Sex. All – the - time,” Bobby snarked. “That could’ve been your bios in your yearbook.”

“They could’ve been our epitaphs too,” Tommy said solemnly. “Don’t use your dad and me as the yardstick to measure yourself against. You’re so much better and have so much more to offer than I ever did at your age.”

Oliver took hold of Tommy’s hand, “What your dad and I are trying to say is that drinking alcohol and having sex with one of your students is irresponsible.”

“We weren’t having sex,” Bobby said defensively, “but, who cares if we were? You both have told me that sex is natural.”

“It is natural, but you shouldn’t be having sex if you’re not ready for the consequences,” Oliver said calmly.

Bobby rolled his eyes, “I know all about condoms.” He pulled out his wallet and starting rummaging through it. When he was unable to find what he was looking for he looked up red-faced, “I’m sure Amy had one.”

“Oh god,” Tommy ran his hands over his head and muttered, “I’m not ready to be a grandfather.”

“You’re already a grandfather,” Bobby’s voiced dripped with sarcasm.

“Your brother is twenty-eight and married with a job,” Tommy snapped.

“I have a job,” Bobby got off his bed. “I’m not getting anyone pregnant but if I did, it’s not like I don’t have the money to take care of them.”

Tommy was at a loss for words and pointed at Oliver with exasperation.

“Being a father takes more than having money in the bank. You’re sixteen,” Oliver took hold of his son’s shoulders, “and you have your whole life ahead of you. Are you ready for being up all night changing dirty diapers and doing homework and little league? And that’s the best case scenario. How about having a child with medical or special needs? Are you ready for that? Are you ready to have a Prue?” When Bobby tried to shrug free, Oliver held tighter, “This isn’t about you having sex or getting someone pregnant, this is about your choices and your judgment. How many times have we told you that alcohol and sex don’t mix?”

“A lot,” Bobby looked at his feet.

“Do you understand why you shouldn’t be having sex with a student?” Oliver tried again.

“You make me sound like an old perv,” Bobby complained.

“No, I’m making you sound like a sixteen-year-old who doesn’t seem to realize that having sex with a student can have him expelled from grad school and ruin his future,” Oliver stated calmly.

Bobby recoiled, “Amy wouldn’t do that.”

“How do you know?” Tommy’s voice went cold and quiet. “What do you know about this woman?”

“Why do you always think the worst about people?” Bobby shouted back. “Malcolm must’ve really done a number on you when you had your sex talk.”

“Robert, enough,” Oliver growled in warning.

“Do you want to know what my sex talk with my dad consisted of?” Tommy asked angrily. He held up a finger, “Don’t get a girl pregnant because I won’t pay for the abortion or the child support.” He lifted a second finger, “Oliver will never love you, so stop being pathetic.” Tommy’s hand clenched into a shaking fist, “Then, he punched me.”

“Da,” Bobby gasped as his eyes filled with tears.

“You’re sixteen,” Tommy took a ragged breath. “I love you. I want you to be happy. I want you to find someone who loves you for the amazing person you are. I want you to have a satisfying sex life. I want all those things for you, but I need you to be as smart as I know you are.” Tommy pointed towards the door, “What I walked in on, wasn’t you being smart. It was you thinking with your dick and that’s going to cause you nothing but trouble. Throwing your future away on some girl who sees you as an easy fuck and an even easier buck is beyond stupid.”

“Tommy,” Oliver cautioned as he placed a hand on his husband’s chest.

“I like her,” Bobby said quietly.

Tommy looked between his husband and son and the look of devastation on his son’s face took his breath away. He felt sick to his stomach as he realized how much he sounded like his own dad. “I’ve got to bring Nate his trumpet. It’s why I came home in the first place.”

“Da?” Bobby asked hesitantly.

“I’ll be back,” Tommy said as he hurried from the room.

Tommy ran down the stairs from the third to the second floor, he was about to descend to the first floor when Oliver grabbed him by the bicep and pulled him into their bedroom. Once they were inside, Oliver released Tommy’s arm and closed their door.

“What the hell was that?” Oliver hissed. “Are you trying to traumatize our son?”

“I don’t know,” Tommy sank onto their bed. “I don’t want him to be like me. I don’t want him to be trying to fill himself up by going from one anonymous encounter to another. I don’t want him to be empty. This path leads to such a dark place.”

Oliver knelt in front of Tommy, “He’s not you. For starters, he has you for a dad, not Malcolm. He isn’t empty. He’s filled with the love that this family has given him. He’s just a sixteen year old boy who is figuring out how good sex feels.” Oliver’s hands ran up Tommy’s legs, “They say the things we dislike the most about ourselves is what annoys us the most in our kids. I think what happened today brought back bad memories, but Tommy, Bobby isn’t you.”

“I need to bring Nate his trumpet,” Tommy wiped his eyes.

“Let me worry about Nate, you need to get yourself together and talk to Bobby.” Oliver rose to his feet, “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, go,” Tommy flopped backwards onto the bed, “I’ll just reverse the psychological scarring I’ve inflicted.”

“Where’s Nate’s trumpet?”

“In the kitchen,” Tommy responded.

Oliver leaned over Tommy, “I’ll be right back.” He kissed his husband tenderly, “Go be the great dad you are.”

Five minutes later, Tommy knocked on Bobby’s door, “May I come in?”

Bobby moved his laptop from the foot of his bed, “I thought you were taking Nate his trumpet.”

Tommy hooked a thumb over his shoulder, “Yeah, dad is doing that.” He sat down on the edge of the bed, “I’m sorry about what I said earlier. You didn’t deserve that.”

“Did Malcolm really punch you?” Bobby asked.

“We don’t need to talk about that.” Tommy smiled shakily, “Tell me about Amy.”

Bobby frowned, “Why don’t you and daddy ever talk about anything real?”

“I don’t understand,” Tommy said, moving closer to his son. 

“I’m sixteen and there are a lot of things I don’t know about you or daddy. I don’t know anything about his five years shipwrecked and I don’t know anything about your life with Malcolm.”

Tommy forced himself to not cross his arms or shut down at his son’s line of inquiry. “Your dad doesn’t like talking about those five years and there is nothing to tell you about my life with Malcolm. He was never home.”

“Except to punch you during the sex talk?” Bobby’s voice broke.

Tommy felt an overwhelming sense of shame. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Why? Is it true?” Bobby asked.

Tommy looked away, “Yes.”

Bobby tugged gently on his dad’s sleeve, “Did he hit you more than once?”

Tommy shifted so he could look at Bobby. “The first time my dad hit me, I was eleven. The last time he hit me was the night of the Siege.” He squeezed his son’s hand, “My dad was an angry man and he took it out on me.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell us?”

“Why would I ever tell you something so terrible? It’s something I never wanted to burden you kids with,” Tommy answered truthfully.

“But it’s important,” Bobby squeezed his dad’s hand. “Did Malcolm catch you with daddy? Is that why he punched you.”

Tommy shook his head, “No, my dad didn’t catch me having sex – but the housekeeper did show him a thong she found in my bed – the thong didn’t belong to your dad – it belonged to a girl.”

Bobby laughed at Tommy’s ramble but quickly grew serious. “Did you and daddy have sex before the Gambit sank?”

Tommy took a deep breath and then answered his son’s question, “We fooled around, but, no, we didn’t have sex.”

“Did you wait until you were married?” Bobby asked cheekily.

Tommy chuckled, “Your father and I did not wait until our wedding night to have sex.”

“Did you and daddy date before the Gambit?”

Tommy was a little surprised by the question. The children had been told that their dads’ didn’t start dating until after Oliver returned from the dead. It appeared that Bobby was doubting their story. “No.”

“Because of Malcolm?”

“It was complicated,” Tommy answered.

“But you had sex with girls when you were my age?”

“I was having sex with girls at your age,” Tommy admitted, “but, Bobby, the world your dad and I lived in when we were sixteen, it was an unhealthy place.”

Bobby scoffed, “You’re a hypocrite to tell me to not do what you did.”

“I drank. I did drugs. I had sex. I did do all of those things, but I did those things because I was trying to make myself numb. I had to go home to a house that was more prison than home. I was terrified of my dad and when he was home, it was a living nightmare. My father wasn’t a good person and he was verbally and physically abusive.” Tommy took a deep breath, “I was a desperately unhappy person and I behaved desperately. All those women and not one of them ever loved me. I was a good time with deep pockets.”

“Daddy always loved you,” Bobby said.

“Yeah,” Tommy smiled, “daddy did love me, but I was so broken back then. I’m ashamed of so many of the things I did. I was self-destructive and there are days when I’m surprised I lived long enough for your dad to be rescued.”

Bobby pulled on a loose thread on his duvet. “What happened in 2009?”

“What do you mean what happened in 2009?” Tommy cringed internally.

“You were all over the tabloids. Hard-core drugs. Public indecency. Fighting. Alcohol. Women. Arrests. Emergency Room visits. You were in the tabloids every week for six months. It was like someone flipped a switch in you. When the Gambit sank, you spent a lot of time with Aunt Thea. No run-ins with the law, but then in 2009, you became this other person. You disappeared for a few weeks and then you went back to being boring. What happened that could’ve been worse than thinking daddy died in 2007?”

“Believing your daddy was dead.” Tommy ran his hands over his face, “2009 was a terrible year, but it’s not completely my story to tell.”

Bobby flopped over, “See, you never tell me anything real.”

Tommy placed a hand on his son’s leg, “Bobby, I’m honestly trying, but this isn’t easy for me.” He took a deep breath and continued, “Not long after the Gambit sank, I had this dream about your dad. When I woke up, I was convinced that he was still alive, so, I put an alert on your dad’s email in case he ever logged in, I’d be notified. I didn’t believe he was dead. In 2009, I got an alert that someone logged into his account from an IP address in Hong Kong. I flew to Hong Kong looking for him. Two days after I arrived, I was grabbed from my hotel room, by a man claiming to have been the person who logged into your dad’s account. He said that he’d hoped to extort money from Moira, but he’d be happy to ransom me instead. I was rescued by the police and I came home.” Tommy took another deep breath as his memories threatened to overtake him, “For the first time since I had that dream, I believed your dad was dead and the floor dropped out from under me. I was angry, but I was mostly just so fucking sad. Breathing hurt. Being alive hurt. My heart was broken and I did what had worked in the past, I self-medicated. I drank. I did drugs. I went to bed with whichever woman was willing when the bars closed at night so I wouldn’t have to be alone. I picked fights, just so someone would hit me. I didn’t want to be alive and that scared me. I went to your Aunt Laurel’s one night when I was in a really dark place and she pulled me back from the edge – she saved my life. Your Grandma Moira was worried about me. She took me out of Starling for a few weeks so I could get myself together. When I came back, I applied to grad school and stopped hiding from the pain of losing your dad.”

Tears streamed down Bobby’s face, “Did they ever find the man who kidnapped you?”

“It was me,” Oliver said from the doorway.

“You kidnapped da, in Hong Kong?” Bobby asked with disbelief. “That’s a hell of a commute to Lian Yu.”

“I wasn’t on Lian Yu for all five years. I spent a year in Hong Kong – for some very complicated reasons, that I can’t get into. I couldn’t go home and I needed your dad to leave, so I made him believe I was someone looking for a payout.”

“I don’t understand,” Bobby’s eyes moved rapidly back and forth between his dads. “You weren’t on the island for all five years?”

“No, I wasn’t.”

Bobby rose from his bed, his hands visibly shaking, “How could you let da and Aunt Thea and Grandma believe you were dead all that time? Their hearts were breaking.”

“So was mine. If there was any way I could’ve gone home, I would’ve,” Oliver said sadly.

“You told everyone that you were on the island for five years,” Bobby said.

“I lied. I couldn’t tell anyone what really happened to me – it was too dangerous for people to know the truth,” Oliver sat next to Tommy.

“Hong Kong is why you became the Green Arrow?” Bobby asked nervously.

“No, Hong Kong isn’t why I became the Green Arrow, but my time there helped train me to become him,” Oliver chose every word deliberately.

Bobby stood silently staring out his window with his back to his dads.

“Bobby,” Tommy said gently. “Talk to us.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Bobby admitted.

“Not what you were expecting?” Oliver gently teased.

Bobby laughed nervously, “I can honestly say I never expected to hear that you weren’t on Lian Yu for five years.” He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Tommy, “I always suspected something bad happened between you and Malcolm, but I never imagined physical abuse. No one is gentler than you, not even mom. I don’t understand.”

Tommy held out his hand and Bobby took it. Tommy guided his son to sit between his dads. “I was a very unhappy person when I was your age. I love you so much and I never want you to know the kind of sadness I knew. I overreacted when I saw you with Amy. I’m sorry. All I’ve ever wanted for you is your happiness and I want to protect you from the mistakes I made, which is unfair. You are your own man and your mistakes will be your own. Your mom, dad and I, we can only love you and share our values with you and hope you make smart decisions.”

“I know I screwed up today,” Bobby admitted. “I shouldn’t have been drinking.”

“It’s not just the alcohol,” Oliver said gently. “She’s your student.”

Bobby’s face crumpled, “But I really like her.”

“I know four years doesn’t seem like a big age difference, but it’s huge at your age,” Oliver said. “I think you should try and date a girl closer to your age.”

“There’s five years between you and mommy,” Bobby reminded his dads.

“She still thinks we’re too immature,” Tommy grinned.

Bobby snorted before he turned serious, “There’s no one my age at school.”

“We know that, buddy,” Oliver put his arm around his son’s shoulder. “It’s why your mom, dad and I were so reluctant to let you start college so young. We want you to have as normal a childhood as possible – and I know you’re not a child, but you’re not all grown up yet either. You still need us and you need to trust that we want what’s best for you. We’re your parents and, no matter how old you get, you will always be our little boy – we’re always going to want to protect you.”

Bobby wrinkled his nose, “How grounded am I?”

“So, grounded,” Tommy said with a smile.

Bobby flopped backwards on his bed and covered his face with his arms, “What’s my sentence?”

“What do you think it should be?” Oliver asked.

Tommy bit his lip to keep from smiling. Bobby was always way harder on himself than they ever were. Letting him design his own punishment was way more effective. They couldn’t use this method on Becca because her idea of punishment would be sleeping on a lower thread count.

Bobby sighed heavily, “I guess I can skip band practice with Siu for a month.”

Oliver rolled his eyes at Tommy, “Bobby, we want you to spend more time with people your age, not less. How about,” he flashed three fingers at Tommy who shook his head and held up two fingers, “two weeks of pots and pans and washing sheets and towels?”

Bobby sat up on his elbows, “Okay.”

“Apologize to your dad,” Oliver gestured towards Tommy.

Bobby sat up and hugged Tommy, “I’m sorry, da.”

Tommy kissed his son’s cheek, “Apology accepted.”

Bobby turned and hugged Oliver, “I’m sorry, daddy.”

“Apology accepted, just don’t do it again,” Oliver said. “You owe your mom an apology as soon as she gets home, okay?”

“Yep,” Bobby agreed.

“All right,” Tommy stood up, “go back to whatever you were doing.”

“Dads,” Bobby called out when they stepped out of his room.

Oliver and Tommy stuck their heads back inside. “Yeah, buddy?” Oliver asked.

“Thanks for telling me about Malcolm and Lian Yu,” Bobby said shyly. “I promise, I won’t tell the kids.”

“You’re welcome,” Tommy said. “You gave your dad and me a lot to think about. Maybe it’s time we stop trying to protect you guys from what happened to us.”

“Da, I’m sorry about Malcolm. You deserved a better dad than what you got. You deserve a dad like you and daddy,” Bobby said earnestly.

Tommy’s eyes filled with tears as his son spoke nearly the same exact words he’d spoken eight years before. He stepped back into the room and placed a kiss to the top of Bobby’s head, “I’m lucky to be your dad. I am so proud of you.”

“Even when I’m an idiot?” Bobby grinned.

Tommy laughed, “Especially when you’re an idiot.”

Tommy took Oliver’s hand once he was in the hallway. Oliver placed Tommy’s knuckles to his lips, “You okay?”

Tommy nodded, “Yeah. Thanks for not letting me run.”

“You’re welcome, but you could do something for me,” Oliver said innocently.

“Anything?”

“Since I’m home early,” Oliver arched a brow, “I thought we could have a glass of wine and makeout watching Sports Center.”

Tommy laughed, “What kind of message does that send to our son?”

Oliver stopped on the stairs and gently pressed Tommy against the wall. He kissed Tommy’s neck, “It says that two people can be together for twenty-three years and still want to makeout like they did when they were sixteen.”

“Relationship goals,” Tommy grinned.

“Exactly,” Oliver kissed Tommy tenderly.

“I like your plan, except,” Tommy cautioned.

“Except?”

“I think we need to open a different bottle of wine and leave the rest of the Goldeneye for Felicity.”

Oliver took hold of Tommy’s hand and led him through the kitchen and into the family room. He sat on the sofa and pulled Tommy’s hips until he was straddling him. “Or,” Oliver waggled his eyebrows, “we can skip the wine and go straight to the kissing.”

Tommy braced his hands on either side of Oliver’s head and smiled down on his husband. Oliver’s hands slid up Tommy’s back and he shivered. “Your plans are always better than mine.”

“Tommy?”

“Yeah, Ollie?”

Oliver tipped them until they were laying on the sofa, “Stop talking and kiss me.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> I have two of the three postpartum fics completed - just not the first one. I'm working hard to get part one finished for next Saturday, because I really want to post the third part on Saturday, June 24th - Pride Day.
> 
> Prompt requests are encouraged.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com


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